Colorado style volleyball with Colorado Juniors VB Club

The Art of Coaching Volleyball

Bill and Judy Peer started Colorado Juniors Volleyball Club in 1999 with two teams and have built it up to 24 teams – 12 travel, 12 local. In that time, 284 CJVC players have gone on to play in college. That was one of their original goals when they founded the club: Give players the best chance to play at the next level.

Fighting for your spot makes you better

No matter who you are or what you’ve done in the past, you have to fight for your spot every year at Colorado Juniors Volleyball Club. Bill Peer, one of the club’s directors, says this motivates players to improve.

Dealing with volleyball parents

There’s a firm rule at Colorado Juniors Volleyball Club: Parents aren’t allowed to talk to the coaches. If parents want to voice their opinions, they can talk to the club directors: Bill and Judy. But coaches are off limits. In this video, the Peers share their thoughts on that subject and other issues club coaches often face involving parents. The video also includes an interview with two CJVC parents about the don’t-talk-to-the-coaches policy.

CJVC’s practice philosophy

As Bill Peer notes, there’s no time spent singing “Kumbaya” at Colorado Juniors Volleyball Club. Two practices a week, each two hours long – and very few acceptable excuses for missing practice.

Keys to successful recruiting at the club level

The Peers say that being honest and candid with players is an important part of building a strong club. So if short outside hitters come to them and say they want to play at UCLA, they’ll pop their bubble and tell them it’s not going to happen. In the long run, says Bill, that helps young players reset their goals and map out a more realistic approach to pursuing a college scholarship. Here’s more from Bill and Judy about what CJVC does to help players with the college recruiting process.

Stealing is OK if you’re a volleyball coach

The Peers are fine with different coaches bringing different styles of teaching to their gym, but each coach is evaluated. As Bill points out, one of the keys to great coaching is stealing ideas from other successful coaches.